KUALA KUBU BAHARU – The father who drowned with two of his children today in Sg Balak, near Jalan Genting Lama-Batang Kali, tried to save them, according to a family friend.
Arif Fadzil Abdul Saleh, 43, his wife Azimah Azaha and their seven children, aged two to 14, had been on a picnic by the river since this morning, the friend told Scoop at the Kuala Kubu Baharu hospital.
The family, who come from Kuala Lipis, also have a house in Kg Kuantan, Batang Kali, and decided to come here for a weekend getaway.
Arif had tried to save Malik, 6, and Damia, 9, when the children encountered difficulties in the water, said the friend, who did not want to be named.
“It was not because of any water surge; the father was trying to save the children who were struggling in the water.
“The boy (Malik) was in trouble first and the girl (Damia) went in to help. Seeing them, the father who was on the bank of the river jumped in to save them.”
The friend added that Arif was self-employed and ran a business buying and selling motoring items.
The family’s relatives had gathered outside Kuala Kubu Baharu Hospital this afternoon, where the three bodies were taken.
Many of them were in tears and declined to speak to the media.
A woman named Juliza, who identified herself as a cousin, told Scoop at the hospital that Arif’s wife, Azimah, had pulled her husband’s body to the riverbank and attempted CPR on him to no avail.
“She also saw the bodies of the two children floating and went in to pull them out, but they were already lifeless,” Juliza said.
Azimah called the police, as there was no one else at the picnic area.
The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department earlier confirmed the drownings.
Its director, Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail, said a distress call was received at 1.09pm.
A statement by the Hulu Selangor police this evening confirmed a similar version of events, except that it was the girl Damia who went into the water first, followed by the father Arif.
At the same time, the son Malik also went into the water without the knowledge of his mother, the police said. – May 5, 2024